The Northeastern Association of Graduate Schools (NAGS) has awarded Dr. Cynthia Bechtel from Framingham State University’s Nursing Department with its Outstanding Teaching Award at the master’s level for the 2014-2015 Academic Year.

The Northeastern Association of Graduate Schools (NAGS) has awarded Dr. Cynthia Bechtel from Framingham State University’s Nursing Department with its Outstanding Teaching Award at the master’s level for the 2014-2015 Academic Year.

Only two Teaching Awards at the master’s level are given each year by NAGS. Dr. Bechtel, who coordinates FSU’s Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) Program, was selected from among all the applications received from the 100 member institutions.

“I am thrilled that Dr. Bechtel has been recognized for representing the high quality of teaching at Framingham State University,” says Dr. Yaser Najjar, FSU’s Dean of Graduate Studies. “Her selection demonstrates the competitive rigor of graduate studies at FSU and the active participation of the University in the professional activities of the NAGS and the Council of Graduate Schools. The entire Framingham State community is proud of this major recognition.”

Dr. Bechtel is a certified nurse educator and coordinates a hybrid (half online, half in person) MSN program, which allows working nurses to take two courses each semester, while only have to come to campus once each week.

“I think our program is effective because of the hybrid learning format and the cohort model, where students complete the 2-year program as a group,” Dr. Bechtel says. “This allows the students to form a bond and be very supportive of each other.”

Dr. Bechtel will be presented with a certificate and a $1,000 cash award in April at the NAGS annual meeting, which will be held at the Hawthorne Hotel in Salem, MA.

“I’m very honored to receive this award,” Dr. Bechtel says. “Going up against faculty from all over the northeast, I really did not think that I would win.”

The Northeastern Association of Graduate Schools is one of four regional affiliates of the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS). Founded in 1975, NAGS draws institutional membership from both public and private universities and colleges from the states of Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, D.C., and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island and Quebec.

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About Framingham State University

Framingham State University was founded in 1839 as the nation’s first public university for the education of teachers. Since that time, it has evolved into a vibrant, comprehensive liberal arts institution offering small, personalized classes on a beautiful New England campus. Today, the University enrolls more than 6,000 students with 58 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in the arts, humanities, sciences, social sciences and professional fields. As a State College and University (SCU), Framingham State prides itself on quality academic programs, affordability, and commitment to access for all qualified students.